1953 Ford Foose Design F-100 – Part 2

Last month, we gave you guys a sneak peek inside the usually closed doors over at Foose Design in order to check out the F-100 Chip and the boys were building to celebrate WD-40’s 60th anniversary. The idea was to create a truck that reflected what the crew at Rocket Chemical Company might have used to haul around their newly developed product back in the early ’50s, with a twist of course.

Naturally, as car guys go, we figured they wouldn’t be able to leave well enough alone and would have massaged the truck a bit to reflect their passion. An altitude adjustment, perhaps a set of wheels, and speed shop-inspired door art are all part of the package the guys dreamt up to celebrate the company’s anniversary.

Yet while the inspiration for the build comes from WD-40’s long heritage, what’s more important is the fact that all involved are doing so to raise money for SEMA Cares, a committee “established by the SEMA board of directors aimed to bring the voice and resources of the SEMA community together to make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

The project will be used to garner attention for the multiple fundraising efforts of the committee at the SEMA show and will eventually be auctioned off with the proceeds benefitting various SEMA Cares charities such as Childhelp and the Victory Junction Gang Camp. A great build with a truly great goal, what better a project can there be?!

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1. Though the truck arrived in near pristine shape, as with any vintage tin, it wasn’t without its imperfections. Nothing a little hammer and dolly work couldn’t fix, however, before it was sent over to the paint shop.

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2. Chip sent the Flathead out to Derek Ranney at L&R Custom Engine Building in Santa Fe Springs, California, where the guys warmed the flatty block over and brought all the tolerances up to spec. A set of Edelbrock heads, Fenton headers, and Offenhauser 2x2 intake manifold round out the hot rod package.

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3. A 5-inch dropped Mor-Drop axle was slid under the front end to bring the pickup a little lower to the ground, while out back the spring was flipped under the rearend.

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4. A number of preliminary designs adorned the door along with various notes and ideas before the final version was decided upon.

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5. To give the truck a delivery look, Chip added oak slats to top the bedsides, convenient when hauling 50-gallon barrels of product.

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6-8. Adorning each side of the oak side rails is a hand-painted WD-40 logo plate.

9. The complete flat knocker is a study in ’50s hot rod simplicity right down to the dual Stromberg 97s, oil filter canister, and the generator-lookalike alternator.

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10. As with any build, there were a few long nights to get all the little details just right before the truck took off for the SEMA show.

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11. A pseudo D.O.D. access sticker was done as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the aerospace industry from which WD-40 originated.

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12. The stock bench seat was shod in brown pleated leather by Bill Dunn Upholstery in Huntington Beach, California, the only hint at any creature comforts inside the hauler.

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13. This one-off set of billet wheels were cut by Curtis Speed Wheels specifically for this project. Designed by Chip himself, the custom rollers feature five windows suspiciously similar to the WD-40 shield.

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14. Here’s a sneak peek of the finished truck, shown here in the WD-40 / SEMA Cares booth at the 2012 SEMA show. Keep your eyes peeled to these very pages for a full feature coming soon!